What does a Chiropractor do?

This question is often asked and I think most people’s perception is that we just “crack backs”.

Chiropractors are probably best known for their ability to relieve back pain, so it makes sense that it is what we are best known for. As to the “crack” often associated with chiropractic this is just one type of many differing techniques used by a chiropractor.

What is a chiropractor trying to achieve?

For many, chiropractic is about restoring function and stability of the spine. By releasing tension in the spine, muscles can be relaxed thereby relieving the pain associated with the anomaly.

However, what is it that runs through the spine? Your spinal cord, this is your nervous system. It is your nervous system that controls every cell of your body.

The brain sits at the top of your nervous system runs down your spinal cord, branches off in pairs at each vertebral level to control every muscle, organ and cell of your body.

The chiropractor does more than move muscles or straighten your posture and spine. A chiropractor is affecting your nervous system allowing your brain to talk to every part of your body.

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So why the crack?

The crack is achieved in a certain type of chiropractic technique it is thought to occur when pressure is released between two vertebrae. A little bit like when you take the lid off the jam jar for the first time, the release of pressure. The aim here is to get the vertebrae to move in the correct motion thereby having an affect on the underlying tissues and nervous system.

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My chiropractor doesn’t do a crack?

There are other techniques in chiropractic that do not use a “crack” when they are adjusting their patient. These are generally called “tonal” techniques. A gentle force – usually the pressure you would use to check a ripe tomato – is used to direct the tissues and vertebrae into correction .

In some techniques a pressure or flick is used to achieve the same result. Some chiropractors will use an instrument instead of their hands.

By helping the spine to function properly, this allows the nerve interference at that level to dissipate so that the message from the brain can get to that part of the body.

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So what does a chiropractor do?

A chiropractor is trying to restore function and stability not only to your spine, but also to your underlying nervous system. Trying to get your brain to “talk” to every part of your body, to help you reach your full potential.

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Lara has been in practice since 1996. She is one of the few chiropractors in the UK with formal training in Paediatrics. She is a Fellow and former Chair of the Royal College of Chiropractors’ Specialist Faculty of Pregnancy and Paediatrics. She has also completed training with the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine and is an Associate Member of the British Association of Nutritional Therapists. She is also one of the few practitioners in the UK to undertake primitive reflex integration training with MNRI.